They turned a complete blind eye to Labour supporters of mine working for me during the mayoral election
Posted in General on 23. Aug, 2010
They turned a complete blind eye to Labour supporters of mine working for me during the mayoral election. I spent a lot of time persuading Labour councillors not to resign and become independents.”It was exactly a year ago that the former GLC leader was doing the rounds at the Labour conference in Bournemouth, winning cheers from delegates during his debates with his potential rivals, Glenda Jackson and Trevor Phillips.It was also exactly a year ago that Frank Dobson looked out over the Channel and made the fateful decision to challenge for the party’s candidacy. Thanks to the backing of MPs and unions that failed to ballot their members, Mr Dobson squeaked home in Labour’s contest. But Millbank’s triumph proved to be a hollow one within a matter of months, when Londoners voted for an independent mayor and Mr Dobson trailed in fourth place behind the Tories and Liberal Democrats.Today, Mr Livingstone is getting on with the job of running the capital. Having been confronted with a plan of his new home in the so-called “glass testicle” mayoral building near Tower Bridge, the Mayor has decided to halve his office space in favour of fellow workers. He’s also working out where to stage the first People’s Question Time.
And London hasn’t fallen into the abyss.However, his biggest concern is London’s Underground and the Government’s plans for a part-privatisation of the network. A report on the merits of part-privatisation will be published tomorrow by the Industrial Society. Mr Livingstone hints that it will come out against the government scheme because it involves safety risks.”What’s starting to happen is it’s unravelling on grounds of safety. When the last government looked at privatisation, it was unanimously rejected by the London Transport Board on safety grounds.”Yet, for Mr Livingstone, the whole idea of the part privatisation has the same root as Tony Blair’s latest troubles on petrol, the Ecclestone affair and pensions: failing to listen to the public. “The recurrent theme of public opinion in recent weeks has been the arrogance of power of the Government.
You’ve got a government whose candidate got 4 per cent of Londoners’ votes,” he said “A lot of spin-doctors believe that the public are stupid. That’s why the ballot rigging against me backfired so badly.”Yet, with a major campaign due to be launched at this year’s conference for his readmission to Labour, he appears confident he will get his way.”There’s a small group of what the whips call the Taliban tendency whose view is ‘never surrender’ and ‘we’ll destroy him after the general election”. They are a minority though.”Which Labour MP is going to stand against me? Who wants this joyous role?” he asks. “I would be amazed if I wasn’t Labour candidate for Mayor in four years’ time.”. Alex Salmond, the outgoing leader of the Scottish National Party, predicted in his farewell speech yesterday that his party would achieve independence “in this political generation”. Alex Salmond, the outgoing leader of the Scottish National Party, predicted in his farewell speech yesterday that his party would achieve independence “in this political generation”.
Mr Salmond, who steps down today after 10 years as leader, told the annual conference in Inverness: “We have built the SNP over these last 10 years on the rock of our own tradition – not New Labour’s shifting sands. The founders of our party realised independence was not an event but a process.